Contents

EN Underline
  1. Episode Overview
  2. What You'll Learn
  3. Deep Dive Breakdown
  4. Essential Takeaways
  5. Resources Mentioned
  6. Timestamps
  7. Implementation Guide

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Episode Overview

This week on The Dojo, we dissect the recent collapse of AllPlants, a UK vegan meal delivery service, amidst a massive marketing spend. We analyse their financial data, marketing strategies (social media, SEO, PPC), and pinpoint critical errors. We also discuss the upcoming Black Friday sales frenzy, contrasting brands embracing the hype with those choosing alternative strategies. Finally, we provide an update on the Wicked movie’s marketing success.

Stop throwing money at marketing campaigns that aren’t delivering. Learn to identify unsustainable business models, optimise your marketing spend, and choose strategies that align with your brand values and financial goals. Avoid the pitfalls of sunk cost fallacy and discover how to leverage data-driven decisions for sustainable growth.

What You’ll Learn

  • Identify unsustainable business models based on financial data and marketing spend.
  • Analyse marketing campaigns across social media, SEO, and PPC to identify areas for improvement.
  • Understand the importance of knowing your customer acquisition costs (CAC) and achieving positive ROI.
  • Explore alternative Black Friday strategies beyond aggressive discounting.
  • Assess the effectiveness of large-scale marketing campaigns based on real-world examples (Wicked movie).

Deep Dive Breakdown

Topic 1: The AllPlants Case Study

Context:

AllPlants, a UK vegan meal delivery company, recently filed for administration. This follows a significant marketing investment. The company’s financial data reveals a critical mismatch between revenue and marketing expenditure. A detailed analysis using tools like Semrush’s Ad Clarity* unveils the extent of their social media spend—a staggering sum far exceeding their gross profit.

Key Insights:

Unsustainable Marketing Spend
  • Finding: AllPlants spent significantly more on marketing than their gross profit allowed.
  • Explanation: This unsustainable model highlights the danger of prioritising market share acquisition over profitability.
Ineffective SEO Strategy
  • Finding: A majority of their organic traffic stemmed from low-value, informational keywords.
  • Explanation: This demonstrates a failure to align content strategy with sales goals, resulting in wasted effort.
Underutilised PPC Campaigns
  • Finding: Their paid search spend was minuscule compared to social media advertising.
  • Explanation: This missed opportunity to target highly qualified leads shows a lack of strategic allocation of marketing resources.

Topic 2: Black Friday Marketing Strategies

Context:

UK Black Friday sales are projected to reach £9 billion. This staggering figure underscores the event’s significance. However, studies reveal that many products aren’t genuinely discounted. Some brands inflate prices beforehand to create the illusion of a sale. This creates a complex landscape for marketers.

Key Insights:

Alternative Black Friday Approaches
  • Finding: Brands like The Ordinary and Octopus Energy are successfully bucking the trend with alternative strategies.
  • Explanation: These examples showcase the potential of focusing on brand loyalty and unique messaging rather than solely on discounting.

Topic 3: Wicked Movie Marketing Success

Context:

The Wicked movie achieved a record-breaking opening weekend for an adaptation of a broadway musical. Last week’s discussion questioned the effectiveness of its extensive marketing campaign. The results are in. The film’s success is a testament to a multi-faceted approach, including extensive brand collaborations.

Key Insights:

Effective Brand Collaboration
  • Finding: The movie’s massive marketing campaign, including numerous brand deals, contributed to its box office success.
  • Explanation: This strategy likely leveraged mutually beneficial partnerships to expand reach and engagement.

Essential Takeaways

  • Prioritise profitability over market share acquisition.
  • Align your marketing strategy with your business model and financial goals.
  • Utilise data-driven decision-making to optimise marketing spend and measure ROI.
  • Explore alternative marketing strategies that align with your brand values.
  • Learn from both successes and failures of large-scale marketing campaigns.

Timestamps

  • 00:00 – Introduction
  • 01:30 – AllPlants Case Study
  • 15:00 – Black Friday Marketing Strategies
  • 25:00 – Wicked Movie Marketing Update
  • 35:00 – Key Takeaways & Actionable Steps

Implementation Guide

Next 24 Hours:

  • Review your recent marketing spend and compare it to your revenue.
  • Identify your top 3 most expensive marketing channels.

Next Week:

  • Analyse the ROI of your top 3 marketing channels.
  • Begin brainstorming alternative marketing strategies for the next quarter.

Next Month:

  • Implement at least one new marketing strategy based on your analysis.
  • Schedule a meeting to review your marketing plan and budget for next year.

*Some links within this guide are affiliate links, which Thinkplus receives a fee for promoting (these links are not sponsored). Thinkplus only promotes services we already use within our marketing stack.